Sen. Thad Cochran to Resign in Less Than a Month

By Caleb Howe | 5:45 PM on March 05, 2018

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Sen. Thad Cochran (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

Another one bites the dust. Republican Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi announced on Monday that he retiring, effective April first due to health concerns. Cochran turned 80 in December of last year.

His retirement means that Mississippi will have both Senate seats up for election this year. Sen. Wicker is running for re-election and is already facing a primary challenge from Mississippi State Senator Chris McDaniel, who also mounted an ultimately unsuccessful primary challenge against Cochran in 2014.

Senator Cochran released a statement via Twitter.

It has been a great honor to serve the people of Mississippi and our country. pic.twitter.com/IYk3qsFxKa

— Senator Thad Cochran (@SenThadCochran) March 5, 2018

Readers of RedState will remember the 2014 election cycle vividly. At the subsequent RedState Gatherings you would frequently hear “Remember Mississippi” from the crowd. It was an ugly race and pitted the establishment against the grassroots in a way that few forgot. Sen. Cochran thereafter was… not a popular guy around here. Seriously. Some have argued it was one of the biggest moments paving the way for a Trump insurgency.

In any case, now Cochran is retiring and the seat will be up for election. We’ll see who steps up to run for it.